Station-indicator



(NoModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. M. ANTHONY.

4 STATION lNDIGATOR. No. 325,643.

Patented Sept. 8, .1885.

WITNEE5E'5 INYENT R N. PETERS, FhnloJ llmgraphur. Walhingtnn, u, C.

(No Model.) 2 sh eets shet 2.

I M. ANTHONY.

I STATION INDICATOR. I No. 325,643. Patented'S-e'pt. 8, 1885.

WITNEESEE INVENTEIE UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARK ANTHONY, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

STATION-INDICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 325,643, datedSeptember 8, 1885.

Application filed June 1?, 1884.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, MARK ANTHONY, a citizen of the United States,residing at San Fran cisco, in the county of San Francisco and State ofCalifornia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inStation-Indicators for RailroadCars, to indicate the names of stations,intersecting streets, or points of stoppage, the whole being arranged ina box having a glass front and having abell or gong operated byindicating mechanism to sound an alarm, of which the following is aspecification.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of thisspecification, Figure 1 is a rear elevation of my improvedstationindicator. Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, S, 9, and 10 are detailviews,which will be more fully ex-- plained hereinafter.

Similar letters of reference are used toindicate like parts throughoutthe several figures.

A represents the inclosing box or frame, having a glass front or door,within which the main portion of the indicating apparatus is placed.

B B are two/vertical shafts, placed near each end of the containing-boxand secured in suitable end bearings, O O, and braces D, as shown inFig. 1. 1

Upon the upper portion of the shafts B are keyed the reels or drums E E,upon which the indicating-ribbon F, having the names of the stationsthereon, is wound.

One of these drums is provided upon the face of the lower head withdownwardly-projecting lugs or detents G, which engage with a prong, H,extended from the spring-rod I, upon the lower end of which the bell Jis secured.

The top ends of the ribbon reels or drums closely approach the top ofthe containingcase, and such upper ends are engaged by the brakesK,which consist of a piece of springstcel screwed by one end to the topof the containing-case, and provided at the other end with a pad orbrakeshoe of leather or india-rubber, which the action of the springpresses down upon the drums head, thus preventing undue motion beinggiven to the drums when being operated. The degree of pressure of thesespringbrakes is regulated (No model.)

zontal shaft N, upon which are keyed the bevel-gears O O, facing inopposite directions and arranged to mesh with the beveled pinions P P,keyed upon the vertical shafts B B beneath the lower head of the ribbonreels or drums.

It should here be remarked that the horizontal shaft, its beveled gears,and journalboxes are interposed or situated between the two verticaldrum carrying shafts, as shown in Fig. 1.

Upon one end of the horizontal shaft Iform a shoulder or collar, Q,which is engaged by the clutch B, into the base of which a thumb or setscrew, S, is tapped. This screw passes through a fixed collar, T, in oneend of the containing box or case, and the outer end thereof is providedwith a milled headfor convenience in adjusting, as it will be readilyseen, from an inspection of Figs. 1 and 2, that by turning the screw tothe right or left hand the clutch R is advanced or retracted, and byengaging the collar Q or hearing against the side of the adjacent gear0, as the case may be, causes the shaft to which it is attached to moveendwise and cause the gear-wheels upon the end of said shaft to engagewith either one of the two pinions P P.

At any convenient point on the shaft N between the bearings thereof 1key the pinwhcel 'U, the pins V of which are engaged by a pawl,W,carried by a vibrating frame-work, X, journaled on the shaft N andWorking through a guide, Y, secured to the base of the containing-case.

The pawl is kept in constant contact with the pins V, by means of a flatspring, Z, fastened by its lower end to the pawl-carrying frame, and thepawl-carrying frame is kept in its depressed position, as shown in Fig.5, by means of a coiled spring, A, which is attached by one end to saidframework and by the other end to the floor of the containing case.

To the extremity of the pawl-carrying frame I attach a length of coiledspring, B, to which is in turn attached a cord, 0, leading over apulley, D, fixed to the top of the containingcase, and thence downthrough a tube, E, through the floor of the case, and is connected tothe spring-rod F, (shown in detail in Fig. 4,) secured in a collar, G,attached to any suitable timber, H, beneath the floor of the railway orother car, as shown in Fig 1.

The spring rod or bolt F extends some distance above itssustaining-collar, and is provided with a head, 1, between which and thetop of the collar is coiled an expansive spring, J, which keeps thespring-bolt in its elevated or normal position. The lower end of thespring-bolt is slotted, as shown in Fig. 4, to receive the upper end ofthe shank K, which is pivoted therein. The upper forward corner of thisshank is rounded off, so that the shank may be bent or turned upwardwhen it becomes necessary to remove the car from the railway, or so asto readily pass over obstructions when the car is going backward. Yetwhen the car is going forward the squared upper rear corner or shoulderof the shank engages with the squared slot in the springbolt. and thewhole is held perpendicularly rigid.

As this device is intended more particularly for use upon cars operatedby endless cables moving in a tunnel-way between the tracks andemploying a grip passing from the car through a central slot down to theoperating-cable, I extend the aforesaid shank K down through thegrip-slot, and attach to one side of the shank a horizontally-projectingfriction-roller, L, which ordinarily travels along or through thetunnel-way close to the under side of one of the slot-rails M, as shownin Figs. 1, 9, and 10.

In order to produce an automatic operation of the indicating mechanism,I attach to the under side of the slot-rails, or at any convenient placewithin the tunnel-way, a downwanlly-extcnding incline or wedge N, (seenin side elevation in Fig. 10,) down the edge of which thefriction-roller L travels until the greatest depth of the incline isreached, (see Fig. 9,) when it glides off on the abruptlycurved base ofthe triangular figure formed by the wedge, and the roller resumes itsoriginal position close beneath the slot-rails.

The operation of my improved automatic station-indicatingdevice will beas follows, to wit: Supposing that the car is about to start upon a tripto the opposite terminus of the road, and that the ribbon F is all woundupon one of the reels or drums E, the operator A now operates theclutch-screw S to slide the shaft N length or end wise and bring oneofthe bevel-gears 0 into mesh with the beveled pinion P, situated uponthe shaft of the empty reel, as seen in Fig. 1.

As the car travels forward and approaches a station or intersectingstreet the shank K and its roller will engage with the incline or wedgeN, which will draw down the spring bolt F, compressing the spring J,and, by means of the connecting cord 0, spring 13,

and pulley D, will cause an uplifting of the pawl-carrying frame-work Xand produce a partial rotation of the pin wheel U, which motion iscommunicated through the shaft N and bevelgearing O I to the windingreel or drum, and the name of the next street or station on the ribbon Fis brought into view, while at the same time an alarm is sounded uponthe hell or gong. As soon as the onward motion of the car carries theshank K past the butt-end of the wedge or incline the expansive springJ, coiled around the stem of the spring rod or bolt F, will cause it toshoot upward or back to its original position, while the coiled spring Awill draw down the pawlcarrying frame X to its original position, andthe parts will be in position to repeat the same movements when theincline N near the next station is approached.

In Figs. 7 and 8 Ihave illustrated a modification of the spring-rod F,the collar G being slotted at one side for the reception of a guidepinon the rod F, while the spring J is arranged within the collar or tubeG, instead of above it, and so exerts a downward pressure on the rod Fthat causes it to carry the roller L down on the track or level surfaceafter it has passed over the incline. This modified form is intended foruse in connection with an upwardly-inclined wedge or incline, whethersaid wedge be placed upon the surface of the road-bed or at the bottomof the tunnel-way.

\Vhen the modified form of spring-rod and collar is employed inconnection with an upwardly-inclined wedge, N, the cord 0, pulley D, andspring B will be dispensed with, and the upper end of the rod F will beconnected directly to the vibratory frame X for the purpose of giving itthe necessary upward movement to actuate the pin-wheel U, shaft N, andwinding-drums, as before described.

It should here be observed that I do not desire to confine myself to theexact means herein set forth for operating my device, as various methodsmay be adopted for tripping the spring rod or bolt F, such as a pin orprojection placed at any point in the tunnel-way so as not to interferewith the cables or cablegrippcr bars.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

1. In an automatic station indicator, the combination of the ribbonreels E E, one of which is provided with lugs or detents G G, thespring-rod I, having prong H, and the bell J, secured to said rod,substantially as described.

2. In an automatic station indicator, the combination of the shafts B B,carrying ribbon-reels E E and pinions P P, the intermittently rotaryshaft N, having collar Q and carrying bevel gears O O, the clutch R, andthe adjusting screw S, substantially as described.

3. In an automatic station indicator, the combination of theribbon-reels E E, mounted on vertical shafts B B, carrying pinions P P,the horizontal shaft N, carrying bevel gears O O and having an endwiseadjustment to bring either gear 0 into engagement with its correspondingpinion, the pin -wheel U and vibratory frame X, mounted on the shaft N,and the pawl W, carried by said vibratory frame and adapted to engagethe pin wheel under the pressure of a spring, Z, substantially asdescribed.

4. In an automatic station -indicator, the combination of the verticalshafts B B, carrying pinions P P, the ribbon-reels E E, mounted on saidshafts, the horizontal shaft N, having an endwise adjustment andcarrying gears O O, the pin-wheel U, vibratory frame X, carrying pawl\V, the springs A B, cord 0, pulley D, spring rod F, shank K, carrying aroller, L, and the incline N, substantially as describ d.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I hare hereunto set my hand andseal.

MARK ANTHONY. [L. s.] Witnesses:

WILMER BRADFORD, O. W. M. SMITH.

